Knowing Pain
by FactsOfLiving
Summary: Spoilers for House Of Hades. Annabeth had always known more than she was supposed to know. Even at age seven, she had known what she shouldn't have. All the way to when she and Percy escaped from Tartarus, she could see the pain in Nico's eyes, telling her what his mouth couldn't. One shot. Rated T for caution.


**WARNING: This contains spoilers for the House Of Hades. If you haven't read the book yet, I would not recommend reading this.**

* * *

**Now that that's over with...**

**I don't own HOO. Or PJO, for that matter.**

* * *

Annabeth had always known more than she was supposed to know.

It didn't matter what age she was, she knew something that she wasn't supposed to.

Which was dangerous.

* * *

At age seven, Annabeth's father had gotten remarried.

The new Mrs. Chase could claim to love Annabeth all she wished - Annabeth could see the truth.

In the woman's hateful, brown, dark, eyes, in her manner, and the way she spoke to Annabeth - that was the worst.

She couldn't take it anymore.

At age seven, she fled.

* * *

When she was twelve, she met Percy Jackson.

She could see Percy was an idiot. But she knew he was intelligent. Like with her stepmother, Annabeth could see the truth.

What she hadn't seen, or predicted, was that Percy would turn out to be a son of Poseidon.

_The one time that my foresight doesn't aid me,_ She'd thought bitterly while teaching him Ancient Greek.

And then they went on the quest, and Percy and Annabeth were friends.

She liked it. Maybe a little too much.

When she was twelve, she ran back to her father's - too scared to face her growing feelings.

* * *

Still twelve, she went on a different quest with Percy. One that went straight into the Bermuda Triangle.

Maybe she could've been hiding. But Percy needed her, and there was no way she was going to go back to camp, with Tantalus there. Even if she had to go on a quest with the cyclops.

Eventually, she admitted that he was okay. But not before tricking a cyclops into thinking she was Nobody, breaking her ribs, and getting dropped headfirst onto a boulder.

Just a day in the life of Annabeth Chase, right?

Still twelve, she fell further for Percy Jackson, befriended a cyclops, and retrieved the Golden Fleece - all while denying her own feelings.

* * *

At age thirteen, Nico and Bianca di Angelo came into being.

Unfortunately for her, that was also when she was kidnapped. She didn't remember much from right before her kidnapping - a scream, two Italian demigods, and Percy.

_Percy._

She'd danced with him... possibly the last dance she'd ever get.

Dr. Thorn had plunged her off a cliff.

Betrayed by Luke, the one she had once loved.

At age thirteen, Annabeth held the weight of the world.

* * *

At fourteen years, a teenager, Percy, Annabeth, Grover, and Tyson ventured into the Labyrinth.

It was all fun and games - haha, please - when Nico di Angelo came into the picture.

Sure, the eleven-year old claimed he hated Percy, but Annabeth saw what was in his eyes.

Idolization and the traces of a feeling called 'love'.

So when it came time to go back to camp, Nico adamantly refused. Annabeth tried to persuade him - not with words. With a single look.

With a single look, Nico knew that she knew. He knew about their shared feelings for a certain hero, he knew about all that.

So maybe that was why his eyes softened, why he relented to go back to camp - for Annabeth, for Percy.

So when rumors surfaced of his crush on Annabeth - which, by the way, weren't true - Annabeth did nothing about them. Nico wasn't hurt by them, in fact, he was relieved. So she kept them alive, kept them going. If only for the sake of Nico's feelings.

At fourteen years, a teenager, Annabeth carried a weight even greater than the world. It hurt no less.

* * *

At age fifteen, bordering on sixteen, Kronos and his army marched on Olympus.

Annabeth and Percy fought Luke - no, _Kronos_ - in the throne room of the gods.

Annabeth could see her life flashing before her eyes. Then, she realized, it was just Kronos, his form glowing.

Percy gave him Annabeth's knife, and Annabeth wanted to scream, _Are you _mad_?!_ But, no. She watched as Luke killed himself with Annabeth's knife, the knife he had given to her at the age of seven.

At age fifteen, Annabeth watched her childhood love die.

* * *

Eventually, Annabeth and Percy got together.

Which meant she had to pretend not to notice the pained looks from Nico whenever he saw them together.

The betrayal that shone in his eyes, that was evident. He didn't hate her. He didn't hate Percy. In fact, he looked up to them. Annabeth could see that much.

But whenever she looked at Nico, she was thrown back into memories, discussions of heartbreak, betrayal, and secrets of the night that made her head spin and her heart break.

So she pretended not to notice his heartbreak. She pretended not to notice his sadness. She pretended, she lied.

Because it hurt Nico less, the less she knew.

And Annabeth had always known more than she was supposed to know.


End file.
